Our Choices Make Us Who We Are
by ByTheAngelIsThatWillHerondale
Summary: Tessa lives in a small town, Greenville, where every parent arranges a marriage for their children when their born. Will is a sailor on Captain Lightwood's ship. When the two meet in a terrible storm on Christmas Eve, what will happen? AH/AU/WESSA
1. The Storm

**So, instead of a Clace story, you're getting this. It started out as a narrative assessment for school...and then BAM! This wonderful Wessa story is born. I know, I know, its kind of boring right now, and a little choppy at the beginning, but in a couple chapters there will be DRAMA DRAMA DRAMA! And also, no one ever writes any AU Infernal Devices stories (OK, there's a few, but...not many). If you are confused on the setting, PM or review (cause its a little unclear in this chapter).**

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"Man the oars!" called Captain Lightwood.

"But Captain, we won't make it by midnight. The storm is far too rough," protested Will, the second in command aboard the ship.

"Do you want to make it home for Christmas?" growled Lightwood.

"Yes, Captain, but-"

"Then get rowing!"

Huffing, Will spun on his heal and ran beneath the deck to give the others the captain's command.

Tessa Gray gazed out the foggy window. The storm was at its worst: not only was it rough at sea, but the snow was blanketing the land. Judging from the amount of snow piled on the pine tree outside, Theresa guessed it was coming several inches by the hour. The Gray family ran their town's historic lighthouse. It had been in the family for generations. The light was barely visible through the fog. This had to be one of the worst storms that Christmas had ever seen.

"Mother, should I go shovel the front walkway out to the dock?"

Her mother hesitated, but said,

"Yes, Theresa, I suppose that would be helpful. Just be extremely careful, especially when you get near the dock. It's freezing, and the waves are big."

Theresa rolled her eyes.

"Alright, mother, but I _am_ 16 years old. Old enough to shovel snow off the walkway."

Tessa slipped on her heavy winter coat and snow boots and opened the front door. Well, she _tried_ to open it. It was stuck closed because of all the snow piled up. Fighting against the weight of the heavy powder, she pushed her way out of the house.

She grabbed a shovel from the shed. As she shoveled her way out to the dock, she noticed something in the distance. It looked like a ship. But why a ship would be sailing in this weather she didn't understand. As she watched it for a few minutes, she noticed it was getting closer. She ran back up her shoveled path to go tell her mother and father, her brown curls bouncing as she went.

"I don't understand why Lightwood is having us sail in this weather. He must be going crazy," Will complained to his best friend on the ship, James.

Well, we've got no choice but to follow his orders, or get thrown of the ship. I don't know about you Will, but I would not like to freeze in those icy cold waters, when it's already 20 degrees."

Will paused, staring into the distance.

"Do you see that, James?" He pointed to a faint yellow glow just above the horizon.

"See what?" James moved so he could see where Will was pointing.

"That light over there. Looks like a lighthouse."

As they approached, the light grew brighter. Will jumped up and raced to the Captain.

"Sir, there's a lighthouse, just over there. That means there's land, where we can dock."

Lightwood squinted, and then turned to Will.

"Looks that way," he sighed. "Prepare to anchor!"

"Mother! Father! Come look! There's a ship sailing, and its coming closer!"

"What are you talking about, Theresa? No ship would ever sail in this weather, unless the captain is a madman," Her mother scoffed at her.

"Daddy, do you believe me?"

"Well, I agree with your mother on this one. There won't be any ships sailing in this weather."

Tessa was getting impatient. "Come on, their getting closer!" She dragged her father to the dock.

When they arrived, the ship was already docking. The captain shouted, "Is it alright if we dock here until the storm passes?"

"Yes, it looks like your ship is in need of repair," Tessa's father replied. "Come; bring your crew, for it is Christmas Eve! Join us for dinner!"

As they sat down to dinner, Tessa looked around the table at the crew of the ship. Most of the crew looked to be in their twenties or thirties, with the exception of a few. Two boys stood out to her. One had eyes and hair that were silver, even though he had the face of a young teen. The other looked about the same age, but was not silver at all. He had silky hair black as night and cerulean blue eyes. He noticed her looking and met her stare evenly; his lips twitching up into a sly smirk.  
Tessa quickly looked away, embarrassed. She shoveled peas into her mouth to divert attention, but she could feel his gaze still upon her. Annoyed she slowly looked up and glared at him; willing him to look away. But he still had that same smirk plastered on his face, and it just made her more infuriated.  
"Why don't we all go around the table and introduce ourselves," suggested Tessa's mother. She nudged Tessa. "You can start, sweetie."  
Tessa rolled her eyes at her mother's "get to know you" activity, but obeyed.

"I'm Theresa Gray, but you may call me Tessa."  
They all went around the table. She learned that the Captain's name was Gabriel Lightwood, and that the silver haired boy was named James Carstairs; Jem for short. But who she really was curious about was the smirking boy that hadn't taken her eyes off of her yet. She was starting to feel uncomfortable with him staring at her for so long.

"I'm Will, Will Herondale," The boy said, finally breaking his gaze from Tessa. _Will,_ Tessa thought. _The name suits him._  
Her mother rambled on and on, about where the sailors could stay, if their ship needed to be repaired or not. Tessa finished her dinner quickly, not really hungry anymore. When she asked to be excused, he mother scoffed.

"Theresa, you're being rude to our guests-"

"But Mother, I really don't feel well. I'll talk to everyone tomorrow at breakfast."

"Theresa-"  
But without her mother's consent, she stood up from the table and walked out, leaving all heads turned in her direction.

Tessa didn't go to her room. Instead, she went to the lighthouse. She climbed all 285 steps to the top and went and sat on the floor by the light. Often times she would come here for peace and quiet so she could think. Closing her eyes, she let her thoughts drift.

"Ah, fancy seeing you here," came a voice. Her eyes flew open only to meet a pair of dazzling blue ones.

"I thought you felt ill. Or at least that's what you told your mother. But I didn't take you for a liar, Tess."

"Don't call me that. And no, I'm not a liar, _William_," she put special emphasis on his name.

"Why not? Don't you like to be called Tess? It's short for Tessa."

Tessa sighed. "Never mind."  
Will moved to sit beside her. "So, _Tessa_, tell me about yourself."  
"There's not much to know. For a 16 year old I have a pretty boring life. Not much of a future, either. Arranged marriage, have kids, run the lighthouse-"  
"Arranged marriage?"  
"Yeah. It's kind of a thing here. Everyone knows everyone, so when we are born, practically, our mothers are already trying to find us our perfect match. My brother's already betrothed to Jessamine Lovelace, one of our neighbors."  
"And who are you betrothed to?"  
Tessa rolled her eyes. "Henry Branwell."  
"You say that as if it were a bad thing," Will inquired.  
"It's not, he's a sweet boy, it's just...he likes to invent things. We couldn't be more different. I can never see myself being married to him, let alone raising a family together," Tessa shuddered. "But, I really don't have a choice. If I don't marry him, my family will pretty much disown me."  
"Oh, Tessa-"  
"Don't feel bad. I just had the unfortunate luck to be born in one of the worst towns in America. Everyone has to go through with it here, because at our age, if you are disowned, you really have nowhere to go. Plus, you leave your match to have to find someone else. Anyway, enough about me. What's your life like? I suppose it's always exciting, being a sailor."  
"Well yes," Will agreed. "But it also can be pretty lonely, even with a big crew."  
"What about your parents?"  
"They died when I was 12."  
"Oh. I'm so sorry, Will-"  
"Don't be sorry, it's not your fault."  
They were silent for a minute.  
"So how long will you be staying, then?" Tessa finally said.  
"Oh, whenever Captain Lightwood decides to get his act together and repair the ship. May be a few weeks, or a few months."  
Tessa internally cheered and groaned at the same time. Months with the crew living here, but on the other hand, months with Will...  
_Stop it!_ She thought to herself.  
"Oh," was all she said in reply.  
"You don't seem too happy about that, Tessa. What's wrong, don't want to spend a few months with me?" He grinned.  
Tessa huffed. "Don't get the wrong idea, Will."  
There was silence again, and this time Will broke it.  
"Don't you ever want to change your future? Be free to live your own life, make your own choices?"  
Tessa sighed, both in disappointment and longing. "Every day."  
"Well, why don't you?"  
"I told you, Will. I would leave in a heartbeat, if my family wouldn't disown me."  
"Would that be the worst thing?"  
Tessa thought for a moment. "Well, is that really a fair question?"  
Will grinned mischievously. "I don't know."  
Tessa yawned. "All I know is that for me to run away from my marriage would cause a huge scandal and would publicly humiliate my family. Much more than any other family in town."  
"Why?"  
"Because my father is the mayor."

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**DAH DAH DAH!** **Small cliffy there, to keep you interested. So anyway, PLEASE tell me what you think of this and if there is anything I should fix. I love everyone who reviews! **

**P.S. This is early, but MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! I'm soooo excited!**


	2. Christmas Day

**Okay guys, here's Chapter 2. I realize it is extremely short...(grrrr, trying to make my chapters longer, but epically failing) BUT next chapter will have some DEFINITE WESSA FLUFF. So be prepared.**

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Tessa woke early on Christmas morning. Not wanting to wake her parents or any of the crew, she crept down the stairs and into the kitchen. The least she could do for everyone to make up for her behavior last night was to make breakfast.  
Deciding on pancakes, waffles, and bacon, she took out all of the ingredients to start from scratch. She had just put the bacon on the stove, and was in the middle of cracking eggs for the waffles when a voice startled her.  
"I thought I smelled bacon!"  
So startled was she that she cracked the egg all over the front of her pajama shirt. She whirled around to face her brother.  
"Nate! Goodness, look what you made me do!" she gestured to the front of her shirt.  
"Now, now, Tessa, you know that can be washed out. Plus, I bet you were going to change your clothes as soon as you were done making breakfast."  
"Alright, well, while I go change, make sure the bacon doesn't burn."  
"Will, do, Sis!"  
Tessa darted up the stairs, only to run straight into Will. She staggered back; almost falling down the stairs, but Will grabbed her arm and righted her.  
She felt alive where he had grabbed her arm; as if she had suddenly woken up from a dream. Tessa felt her face turn a bright crimson; considering she had egg all over her pajamas and had almost fallen down the stairs.  
"Ohmygoshi'msosorryIdidnt-"  
"It's okay Tessa. apology accepted." He smiled at her then; a true smile, not a smirk. Tessa kept her head down and mumbled, "Breakfast is almost ready," before darting up the stairs past Will.  
After she had changed, she found Nate and Will talking while Nate poked at the bacon.  
She smiled at Nate and finished making breakfast. By then, everyone was up,including her parents and the crew.  
"Merry Christmas, I hope everything tastes okay!" Tessa smiled at everyone. "Sorry about last night again."  
Tessa took her seat. Serving herself two pancakes and a piece of bacon, she looked up; only to see Will staring at her again. She averted her gaze quickly, not wanting her parents to notice she was having a stare-down with a boy across the table. She would talk to him later about why he was staring at her.  
When everyone was finished eating, the Grey's opened their presents. Tessa didn't get much, but she never minded. Christmas wasn't about receiving, it was about giving.  
She felt bad that the crew didn't get anything, but they didn't seem bothered. They talked and laughed among themselves, enjoying each other's company.  
As always on Christmas, her mother and her started cooking dinner in the early afternoon. Now they started earlier, for they had more to cook because of the extra 15 men at their table.  
"Theresa dear," her mother's voice rang through the kitchen. "We don't have any flour left; will you run to the Lovelace's and ask them for a cup?"  
Tessa huffed. "There's about 5 feet of snow on the ground and you want me to walk down the street to the Lovelace's?"  
"Oh come on, Theresa. It's not that bad."  
"Fine." Tessa rolled her eyes. She stormed off to find her snow boots and coat.  
As luck would have it, for the second time that day she ran head first into Will.  
"Well, Tess, can't seem to keep your hands off me now, can you?"  
She stormed past Will, scoffing in annoyance. He grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him.  
"Wait-Tessa, I'm sorry. Where are you going?"  
"To the Lovelace's house to get flour for my mother."  
"In the snow?"  
"Yeah, well my mother is crazy."  
"Let me come with you then."  
Deciding there was no point in arguing, she sighed. "Fine, get your coat."  
Will smiled and ran off in the other direction.

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**So yeah, I apologize for the length. Please tell me what you think. I'm kind of all over the place with this story cause for a while I had writers block so then I skipped writing a part and then wrote until I hit another brick wall. Then I went back and attempted to write the part I was stuck on. Sooooo I'm gonna stop rambling now. XD**

**PLEASE REVIEW! It will be my Christmas gift. Anyone who reviews will get a snippet from the next chappie! SO REVIEW! Thank you to everyone who already did. And thanks to my first reviewer for this story, Herongray! Your awesome!**

**MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO EVERYONE! **

**Next chapter will be up soon! I promise!**


	3. Confessions and Secrets

**HEY EVERYONE BACK WITH ANOTHER CHAPTER! You're probably wondering, "Does this girl have a life?" BELIEVE ME I DO its just on break right now and I don't know what to do with myself! Haha well...enjoy!  
**

**Warning: WESSA FLUFF AHEAD. PROCEED WITH CAUTION o_O  
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**Also, I forgot to say this before, but OBVIOUSLY I'M NOT CASSIE CLARE. I'm certainly not as wonderful. :)))  
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Will met her at the front door. She smiled and opened the door, and they walked out into the cold air. Their boots crunched through the snow, and Tessa decided to fill the silence.

"Just a warning," Tessa said, "Jessamine, the Lovelace's daughter, can be….a little brusque at times. Don't be offended by her behavior."

"I'm sure I can handle it," Will grinned.

They climbed the front steps of the Lovelace's front steps and Tessa rang the doorbell. Seconds later, the door whipped open.

"Tessa," Jessamine smiled tartly at her. "Lovely to see you. And who do we have here? A friend? Or is he something more? If your mommy and daddy found out about that, you would surely be in for some trouble." Bitterness dripped from her voice.

Tessa grinned slyly back at her. "Merry Christmas to you too, Jessie." She knew Jessamine hated it when she called her that. "I've come to ask for some flour. My mother needs it for dinner. And no, William here is _not _my lover."

"I see," she sighed. "Well since it _is_ Christmas, I suppose we _could_ lend you some flour. I'll be right back."

She closed the door and Tessa closed her eyes. "I take it you two don't exactly get along," Will inquired.

"No, we don't," Tessa breathed.

The door swung open again, and Jessamine shoved a bag of flour into Tessa's hands.

"There you go," She said. "And tell Nate I said hello," She smiled dreamily and batted her eyelashes a few times. Tessa just rolled her eyes. Jessamine was enamored with Nate ever since they had been betrothed, but Nate couldn't stand her.

"I will. Bye Jessamine."

The door closed with a thud. They walked down the steps again. "Be careful, it's icy right here." She pointed to a slick spot in front of them. Will nodded and avoided it.

As they trudged home in the snow from the Lovelace's, flour in hand, Tessa felt Will's gaze on her again. She felt anger well up inside her, and decided to confront him.  
"Why are you always staring at me? Do I really look that beautiful?" Tessa demanded furiously.  
Will was quiet for a minute, then spoke gently. "Yes," was all he said.  
"Yes, what?" she spat.  
"Yes, you really do look beautiful."  
"Will-"  
"No, I'm not joking, Tessa. I stare at you because I can't take my eyes off of you. You are beautiful."  
Tessa stood frozen, shell-shocked. "Are you-"  
Will cut her off by pressing his lips to hers. Electricity sparked between them; they could both feel it. Will moved closer and wound his hands in Tessa's brown curls. But then reality set in; and Tessa realized what she was doing. She pulled away quickly, as much as she didn't want to.  
"Will," she whispered, averting her gaze. "I-"

Will looked worried. "I'm sorry, was that too soon? I don't know what's gotten into me, I just….I love being around you, Tess. You make me feel like….like….I don't know. It's like this renewed energy within me. God, I know it sounds cliché, and we've only known each other for what, a day, but…I'm sorry, I didn't mean to rush this on you. And now I'm rambling." Will mumbled and bowed his head.

Tessa blinked_. Did he really just say that about me?_"I feel that way too. You didn't rush anything. But Will, if anyone saw us; my parents, my brother, someone in the crew, you and I would be in so much trouble, and I would be-" She started to shake. "I'm not even supposed to kiss anyone except for my family members until I'm married."  
"Tess, I'm sorry, if this was a mistake-"  
"No!" She clung tight to the front of his coat. "I-I want to be with you too, but-but I can't."  
"We could keep it a secret," whispered Will. "No one would have to know."  
Tessa didn't respond; only reached up and kissed him again to say what words could not.

Will and Tessa walked back to the house, smiling under their breath. They had decided to keep their relationship a secret, for Tessa's sake.  
Nate greeted them at the front door. "Hello! Where have you two been?"  
"Oh, just went to get some flour from the Lovelace's," replied Tessa trying to sound casual. She held up the bag of flour to prove her point.  
"I see," Nate said flatly.  
"Well, I have to get dinner ready. I'll see you later Will!" She smiled at him as he walked away.  
As she started to skip to the kitchen, Nate grabbed her arm. "Tessa," he said, his voice stern. "I think it's best if you stayed away from Will, or any of the crew for that matter."  
"Why? Will and I are just friends," she played dumb.  
"Tessa. I saw that kiss," Nate said. Tessa's face drained of color. "I _should_ go tell Mother and Father, but being the big brother I am, I won't. I know it was a mistake on your part and I trust that it won't happen again. Am I clear?"  
"Yes. Thank you Nate, it won't happen again," she whispered, but it was more of an attempt to reassure herself.  
"Good. Now go ahead and get dinner cooking."  
Tessa scampered off to the kitchen, her mind reeling.

Laying in bed, she replayed the events of the day. A lot had happened. She'd had her first kiss, to someone besides her betrothed. And she didn't regret it, even though she knew she should. Nate had seen her, and she was forever in his debt because he hadn't told Mother or Father.  
Sleep remained out of reach. Deciding she would rather get up then waste her time laying there, she slipped out of bed and down the hall. The crew slept in the basement, on spare cots, but the Captain and the second in command slept in the two guest bedrooms. Fortunately, Will happened to be the second in command.  
She slunk to the guest bedroom, and lightly rapped on the door. At first, there was no answer. She was about to turn around and go back to her room when the door opened, just a crack.  
"Tessa?" He looked down the hallway. "What are you doing here?"  
"I'm sorry Will, it's just-can I come in?" She blushed.  
"Is someone eager to-"  
"Shh, I think someone's coming. Let me in."  
He opened the door wider and she slipped through. Sure enough, she heard footsteps in the hallway, but after a minute, they passed. She breathed a sigh of relief.  
"What did you want to talk to me about?" He whispered.  
She closed her eyes and leaned against the door. "Will, Nate saw us kiss."  
Will turned white, just as Tessa had before.  
"Oh my God, Tessa, I never would have kissed you if I knew that. I-I didn't mean to get you in trouble, I'm so sorry-"  
"It's alright. He said he wouldn't tell Mother and Father, so long as it doesn't happen again."  
Will's face fell even more, if that was possible. Tessa noticed and smirked. "Or so long as we don't get caught again." She reached up and brought his face to meet hers, and pressed her lips to his. The kiss started slow and gentle, but soon became passionate and urgent, before Tessa broke away for breath.  
"See, I have no intent on not kissing you, William. Don't worry."  
"Good," he whispered, and kissed her again. Tessa broke away first once more. "Will, I can't sleep. Can I stay here, just for the night?"  
Will smirked. "Not like that!" She hit him lightly on the arm.  
"Of course Tess," he replied, trailing his thumbs across her face.  
They crawled under the sheets, and Will twined his arms around her waist. Tessa closed her eyes, and let herself be taken captive by darkness.

**Tell me whatcha think guys! Oh yeah, and I'll probably start doing a chapter playlist thing soon cause... I listen(ed) to a LOT of music while I wrote/write this story and a lot of it has influenced the plot...so yeah. REVIEW!**


	4. The Plan

**Here is Chapter 4! Just got back from seeing Les Miserables (the movie)! It was AMAZING! I cried at the end :DDD Anyway, onwards!**

**Chapter Playlist:**

**Arms-Christina Perri (AWESOME SONG! I think it fits really well because it talks about how when your first in love and your scared and you don't feel deserving of being loved...You'll be seeing a LOT of Christina Perri on these playlists cause I love her)**

**No Envy No Fear- Joshua Radin**

**Make You Feel My Love- Adele**

**I highly recommend you listen the these songs before/during/after you read. You don't have to like them, they just fit the mood of the mood of the chapter.**

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Opening her eyes the next morning, Tessa looked around. Disoriented, it wasn't until she rolled over to see Will sleeping peacefully that reality set in. Panicking, she frantically looked at the clock. 7:45. Her mother wouldn't come knocking on her door until 8:00. But there was a good chance that both her parents were already up.  
She clamored out of bed and smoothed down her hair. Will stirred, and opened his eyes.  
"I have to go Will, my parents are going to come looking for me. I'm usually up at 7:30!" she whispered frantically.  
Will's head snapped to the clock and his eyes widened.  
"Oh God, Tessa. I'm sorry!"  
"Shh, it's alright. See you soon." She quickly kissed Will and quietly opened the door. She looked both ways and darted to her room.  
"Oh, Tessa, you're up!" Came a voice from behind her.  
Tessa spun around to face her mother. "Yeah, I must have overslept."  
Her mother looked suspicious. Tessa's heart was pounding furiously in her chest, but thankfully she didn't press Tessa for more. "Alright, well come down for breakfast soon. Everybody was wondering where you were."  
Her mother returned to the kitchen, and Tessa breathed a sigh of relief. Slowly, she climbed down the stairs. Will came down a few minutes later, looking sleepy, his hair tousled. He took an empty seat next to Tessa.  
Will dished up his breakfast, and then pretended to adjust his napkin on his lap, but he grabbed Tessa's hand underneath the table instead. Tessa blushed but kept eating. Nate narrowed his eyes at her, but didn't say anything. All the while, Will was rubbing circles over her hand with his thumb, which was completely distracting Tessa. She just wanted to lean over and kiss him, but obviously she refrained herself.  
She got up to clear her plate and was about to walk out of the kitchen when her mother spoke.  
"Tessa, may I have a word with you?"  
Tessa's heart rate sped up as she walked to her mother. "Yes, mother?"  
"Dear, I have some good news. Mrs. Branwell and I have decided that instead of waiting until your 18 to marry, you could marry at 17! Isn't that great sweetie?"  
_Oh God_, Tessa thought. She forced herself to move her lips upward so that they resembled a smile. "Yeah, that's great Mother!" she said with as much enthusiasm as she could muster, when really, she felt like crying. Her birthday was only 8 months away. 8 short months until she lost all of her freedom. And Will. What would they do? Her mind was working on overload. She realized her mother was calling her name, and she snapped back into reality.  
"...Theresa? Are you feeling alright? You look positively green! I thought you were happy about this," her mother said.  
"I am happy," Tessa lied. "I must have just eaten something that didn't agree with me at breakfast. May I go now mother?"  
"Yes, of course, you don't look good at all."  
"Thank you." She willed herself to hold back her sobs until she closed the door to her room. She cried until she felt hollow inside. Why couldn't she have been born like a normal teenage girl? They didn't have to be forced to marry someone they didn't want to. This was the 21st century, not medieval times.  
She wiped her tears away and smoothed her brown curls down. She figured her eyes were probably still blotchy from crying, but she didn't care. Let them see how much pain she was feeling.  
Tessa found herself once again climbing the stairs up to the lighthouse. She sat numbly in her usual spot, unmoving. She was vaguely aware of someone sitting next to her. She turned to meet a pair of deep blue eyes, looking at her with concern. She lost her composure as tears streamed down her cheeks for the second time that hour. Will pulled her into his lap and rocked her back and fourth, smoothing down her hair and whispering sweet nothings in her ear. She finally choked out one last sob and wiped her eyes, suddenly embarrassed by her behavior. She twisted in his lap to look up at him. He looked concerned.  
"Tessa, I don't want to upset you even more, but I'm leaving the day after tomorrow. Captain Lightwood has fixed the ship, and the storm has well passed."  
Tessa's heart sank even more. She couldn't help but let a few more tears silently slip down her cheeks.  
"The reason I'm a mess like this is because my mother told me I am to be married at 17, not 18. My birthday is only 8 months away," she whispered. "8 months until my future is determined for me." her voice cracked, and she held back another sob.  
"Oh, Tess..."  
"It's okay, the inevitable is just happening sooner. I have to deal with it," she mumbled.  
"No you don't," Will said defiantly.  
"Will, there is no other way-"  
"Yes there is, Tess."  
"How?" Tessa whimpered.  
Will took a deep breath. "I've been thinking about this for a while now, so I hope it will work. Do you have a cell phone?"  
Tessa rolled her eyes. "No, we only have one landline phone in the kitchen. Half the town doesn't even own a computer."  
"Alright, then I'll call the house."  
"No! That's way too risky. There is a high chance of someone other than me picking up."  
"Well then, I'll write to you."  
"But how will you mail the letters? And how would I get them without my parents knowing?"  
"I'll mail them whenever we stop to dock. And as far as getting them past your parents, I can make them from different addresses."  
"Alright, so you send letters to me. What else?"  
"I turn 18 in four months. That's when I can officially resign from Captain Lightwood's crew. Four month's pay will earn me enough money to live on for about three months after that. I'll find you, and we can run away together. Of course, if your alright with that. I don't want to pressure you into anything."  
Tessa's frown slowly spread into a huge grin.  
"Your a genius, Will. Now I know why I love you."  
"Did you just say you love me?"  
Tessa blushed, embarrassed at her blunder, but Will smiled. "I love you too, Tess."  
Tessa smiled and crashed her lips against Will's. Her low mood had suddenly turned into an intense feeling of joy. When they broke apart, both grinning from ear to ear, Will spoke. "Are you sure you want to do this, Tess? I don't want to force you to leave your family. I know you care about them."  
"I'm sure," Tessa replied.  
"I promise I'll get a real job to support us. And we don't have to get married or anything, not if you don't want to."  
"Will, stop worrying so much. I'm coming with you, and nothing can change that," Tessa reassured him.  
Tessa was ecstatic. But all she could think was _it's going to be a long four months_.

**So...Good? Bad? Okay? I just realized that I kinda...okay REALLY rushed Wessa's relationship...BUT ITS SOO HARD TO WRITE WITHOUT THEM BEING TOGETHER! So if that bothers you, you can think of it stretched out more...Sorry. :)**

**Tell me whatcha think!**


	5. Hope

**HEY EVERYONE! Chapter 5 is here! And guess what?! You get two chapters today! **

**Chapter Playlist:**

**Hey There Delilah- Plain White T's**

**(Sorry, short chapter, so only one song :D)**

In the weeks and months that followed, Tessa always looked forward to her letters from Will. Her parents were unsuspecting; for she received messages from people in town often enough. The only flaw in their plan was that she couldn't write back, because he was always traveling. She couldn't notify him if anything went wrong, just hope and pray that her life would remain somewhat normal for four months.  
It did, for the most part. Every few weeks, her mother would schedule a "bonding time" when Henry would come over. These meetings were extremely torturous for Tessa because all she could think about was Will, as Henry babbled on about his latest invention.  
Finally, she got a letter one day from Will that made her giddy with excitement.

_My dearest Tess,_

I have good news. My birthday is in two weeks, and you know what that means. I will resign as soon as I possibly can, but I can't promise Captain Lightwood will be happy with me. I don't know if he will make me stay or if he'll let me go as soon as we reach land. It might be mid-May until I can come for you. As soon as I reach land, I'll send you a letter letting you know I am on my way.  
I hope you get this letter, Tess, and that it doesn't fall into the wrong hands. I can only have faith that it doesn't. Just a few more weeks, and you'll have the best future ahead of you. I love you and miss you so much.

With all my love,  
Will  
  
His letters were usually short and to the point like that; Tessa figured he didn't have much time to write on the ship. But what made her extremely happy was his time estimate. A few weeks! Tessa wanted to jump for joy every time she thought of him, which was quite honestly, most of the time.

A few weeks later, she received Will's letter telling her he had reached land. But he said that he was up the coast a bit, so it might take him a few days. Tessa was elated, but nervous at the same time. What if they got caught? What if they couldn't find a place to live?  
Every night she lay awake, listening for any signs of Will. By the end of the week, Will had not come, and she was exhausted from forcing herself not to sleep all week. Tessa started to lose hope. Maybe Will didn't want to spend his money on her, or the rest if his life for that matter. By Saturday, she was trying to accept the fact that he wasn't coming. Saturday night she lay in bed, feeling alone, but trying not to think of Will. She shouldn't have gotten her hopes up. Even though his letters said he was coming, he could have been lying. But it didn't seem like him to just ignore her.  
A light tap startled Tessa. At first she didn't think much of it, but another tap came, and her heart soared. She raced to the window, and sure enough standing there was Will, grinning ear to ear. Tessa almost started crying out of pure joy. He didn't abandon her after all.  
She gathered her things; she had been packed for months. Careful not to make the slightest noise, she crept down the stairs. She left her note to her family on the kitchen table, before slipping out the door.  
She ran into Will's outstretched arms, finally letting her tears out.  
"I thought you weren't coming," she whispered.  
Will looked at her questioningly. "Didn't you get my letters?"  
"Yes, but the longer I waited, the more doubts I started to have. I thought you might not want to spend your money on me, or you didn't want me anymore, or-"  
Will pressed his lips to hers. He wound his hands in her hair, and she felt her heart flutter. It felt good to be kissed like this after so long. Her arms in return wrapped around his neck.  
"We'd better get going," Will check his watch. He glanced behind his shoulder."I rented a car, too."  
"Will! That must have cost a fortune! We could have just taken the train."  
"I didn't tell you," Will grinned. "I get three more months of pay, after resigning."  
Tessa felt her eyes widen. "On top of the other four months?"  
Will nodded. Tessa smiled widely and picked up her bags. Will helped her load them in the trunk, and then they clamored into the car.  
"How do you know how to drive?"  
"Captain Lightwood made us all learn. Said it would all help us sail."  
He started the car, and they pulled out of the driveway, one of his hands entwined with hers. Tessa would miss her family, but she didn't have a doubt as they drove into their future.

**Okay, so that's that. Another chappie cause this one's short! :DDD**


	6. Wherever You Go, I'll Go

**Here's Chapter 7!**

**Chapter Playlist:**

**You and I- Ingrid Michaelson**

**The Way I Am-Ingrid Michaelson**

"Hi, sweetie," Will walked in the door, arms full.  
"Hey," Tessa greeted him, stirring the pot of soup on the stove.  
"Sorry I'm late. I got stuck in traffic. What are you making? It smells wonderful."  
"Chicken noodle soup," she replied. "It's almost done."  
She felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist. "Mmmmm, but you smell better," he mumbled as he buried his head in her brown curls.  
"Will," Tessa blushed.  
"What? You do. Like lavender, and honey," he took a deep breath. "and sugar, and..."  
Tessa smiled. She loved when Will was like this. Life had been perfect so far. They had found an apartment in New York City, and had been living there for about 6 months. Tessa had turned 17 in August, and Will had found a job at a company that designed ships. They had hired him because of his sailing experience. Although he was young and he hadn't been formally educated, his knowledge of ships was valuable to the company. And the job paid well. They were able to pay the rent and all the bills without having to scramble for money.  
Tessa had been looking for a job, but hadn't found one yet. It wasn't that they needed the money, but it would be a nice bonus.  
The sharp shrill sound of the phone startled Tessa.  
"I'll get it," she told Will. She grabbed the phone off the cradle and pressed the TALK button.  
"Hello?"  
"Oh, thank God. Thank God it's you, Tessa."  
"Nate?" she paused. "How did you get this number?"  
"That doesn't matter," he said in a hurry. "What matters is I finally found you. We've all been so worried. Mother and Father have been despondent for the past few months."  
"Nate, if your trying to guilt-trip me into coming back home, it's not going to happen."  
"I'm not, Tess. It's just, Mother and Father really want to see you again."  
"Me? And what about Will?"  
There was silence on the other end of the phone.  
Tessa sighed. "That's what I thought. If I come, then Will comes, and if you can't accept that, then I'm not going."  
"And I suppose you two are married by now?"  
"No."  
"Oh."  
Tessa sighed again. "Look, I'm sorry for leaving, I really am. I miss you all, but this is what I had to do. I'm happy now, and I wouldn't have been if I had stayed."  
"Well, I guess happiness is all I can want for my little sister."  
"Talk to Mother and Father about me and Will coming. If that's alright with them, then we'll come for a little while, but I'm not staying. Is that clear?"  
"I will, Tess. Will you still be at this number if I call you back?"  
She hesitated for am moment before replying.  
"Yes."  
"Alright. Oh, and one last thing. Where are you living now?"  
"That's none of your business."  
"It is my business, I'm your brother."  
Tessa squeezed her eyes closed, even though Nate couldn't see her. "New York City."  
"WHAT?"  
"Nate, it's alright, we-"  
"NO, it's most certainly NOT alright! Do you know how dangerous city life is?! You could get pick-pocketed, or robbed, or-"  
"Nate, I've survived for six months. I'm used to it by now."  
"Are you living on the streets? I thought William was a sailor."  
"He was, but he quit. He's working for a company that manufactures ships. We live in an apartment in Manhattan."  
She heard Nate sigh. "Okay, as long as your safe. We love you Tess, and I'll talk to you soon."  
"Love you too, Nate. Bye."  
She hung up and slumped against the wall. Will came out of the bedroom and noticed her expression.  
"What's wrong, baby? Who was that?"  
"Nate."  
"Your brother? What did he want? And how did he get our number?"  
"He didn't say, but he said he wants me to come visit. I told him that I wasn't going unless you came with me. He asked if we were married and when I said no, he seemed surprised. I guess he figured we would as soon as possible."  
Tessa looked at Will, he seemed sullen. "Do you want to get married?" she asked softly.  
"Tessa, I don't want to do pressure you into anything. I would marry you in a heartbeat, because I know there is no one else I'd rather spend the rest of my life with. But I know you think we are too young, and I can respect that."  
Tessa took a deep breath. "Will, I've changed my mind. I want to get married now."  
Will smiled and wrapped his arms around Tessa. "I think we have this backwards. Isn't the guy supposed to propose to the girl, and slip a ring onto her finger when she says yes?"  
Tessa blushed. "Yeah," she mumbled.  
"Well then, I won't call you my fiancé until I buy you a ring and get down on one knee."  
"William Herondale, you do not need to-"  
"Shhh," he pressed a finger to her lips. "The matter is settled. Now what was your brother saying again?"  
"Well, I told him we were in New York City, and he flipped out on me."  
"You told him where we were living?"  
"He practically demanded that I tell him. Plus, he has a short temper. I didn't want him to get angry."  
Will inhaled. "Do you think he'll come looking for us?"  
"No."  
"Why not?"  
"Because he would never leave Greenville."  
The timer on the stove beeped, signaling the soup was ready.  
"Come on, dinner's ready. Can you get bowls?"  
"Sure thing, sweetheart."  
They ate their soup in silence for a while, before Will spoke up.  
"Tess, I want you to know that I never regretted quitting my job on the ship for you, or any of it. In fact, I'm happier now than I ever have been. I'll go with you to your family, if that's what you want to do. Wherever you go, I'll go."  
Tessa smiled.  
Her life at the moment seemed perfect.

**There ya go! Don't you just love Wessa?! Check back tomorrow for more! XDDD**


	7. Shock

**Ok, you guys are going to hate me. H-A-T-E me. First of all, well... nevermind. Just enjoy the fluffiness of the first part while it lasts. **

**Chapter Playlist:**

**In Your Arms- Kina Grannis**

Tessa woke up to the shrill sound of the phone echoing through the apartment. She made a move to get up, but Will's arms tightened around her waist.  
"Will, come on, I have to get the phone," she spoke gently.  
"Mmmmm," mumbled Will, and rolled her over, pulling her to his chest.  
"Will! Stop!" Tessa laughed and struggled out of his grasp. She made it to the phone just in time.  
"Hello?"  
"Tessa?"  
"Yes?"  
"It's Nate."  
"Oh. Hi Nate. What did Mom and Dad say?"  
"Will can come. I told them that's the only way you would have it. They really want to see you, so they agreed to let him come too."  
"Alright. When do you want us to come?"  
"How long did it take to get to New York City?"  
"About a day and a half of driving."  
"Then come next Monday. You can stay until Friday, and then make it home by Sunday."  
"Okay. Well, I'd better get packing. But remind Mother and Father again that I'm NOT staying. I'm going home on Friday with Will, and that's final."  
"I know, I know. See you on Monday, Tessie."  
Tessa smiled. He only called her Tessie when he was really happy or excited.  
"Bye!"She said and hung up. Deciding to go back to bed, since it was still early, she pulled back the sheets and crawled in. She snuggled up next to Will, and his arm immediately found its place around her waist. She smiled and fell into a deep sleep again.  
When she woke up for the second time that morning, it was 10:00. She must have been really exhausted, because she never slept past 8:30. Will was still asleep beside her. It was a good thing he didn't have work today, because he would have been an hour late.  
She got up and decided to make Will his favorite breakfast: scrambled eggs. She herself had never been much of an egg person, so she made herself a waffle. Tessa had discovered Will loved eggs when she woke up one morning to find him attempting to cook them.  
Will appeared then; his jet black hair tousled from sleep.  
"Morning sleepyhead." Tessa kissed him on the cheek. "I made you breakfast."  
"I see that," Will said, grinning. "My favorite, too."  
She handed him his plate of eggs and took a seat beside him with her waffle.  
"Nate called."  
"What'd he day?"  
"My parents agreed for you to come. We're leaving on Saturday to get there on Monday. Can you take a week off of work?"  
Will nodded his mouth full of scrambled eggs.  
"Good," Tessa said.

"I'll get it, sweetie," Will reached for her bag as she tried to lift it into the trunk.  
"It's alright," Tessa replied as she managed to hoist the bag up. She opened the passenger seat and slid in. Will started the car and pulled out of the parking complex of their apartment.  
Tessa yawned, and Will looked over at her, smirking.  
"You tired, baby?"  
Tessa fake-pouted. "Yes, since you couldn't seem to find a comfortable position last night."  
Will laughed. "Sorry, honey. I didn't mean to keep you up."  
"It's okay, you know I forgive you." she leaned over and gently kissed the corner of his mouth.  
Will eyed her.  
"Don't tease me Tess, or I'm going to drive us off the road."  
"What, you don't like it when I do this?" she trailed a finger across his cheekbone innocently, smirking.  
Will groaned. "Tessa...Don't do this, I'm serious about driving us off the road."  
Tessa laughed and leaned back in her seat. "Fine. But only because I value my life." Will grinned at her.  
For the next 6 hours they drove, stopping once to eat lunch. Now, it was 8:30, and it was already getting dark. Heavy rain beat relentlessly on their windshield, the wipers going a mile a minute.  
"I think we should pull over for the night, Will. You need a break, and it's getting dark." Tessa suggested.  
Since they didn't really have the money to stay at a hotel, Will pulled into a grocery store parking lot and parked the car. They had packed blankets and pillows, planning to sleep in the backseat. Tessa crawled in back, not wanting to get out of the car in the pouring rain. Will followed her, and she set up a make-shift bed, propping a pillow up against the window so they could lay across the bench seat. He spread his legs out on the seat and Tessa crawled into his lap, her head against his chest. She spread a blanket over them.  
"Buonanotte, tesoro. Sogni d'oro. Ti amo." (Good night, sweetheart. Sweet dreams. I love you.) Will said, stroking her hair.  
"I didn't know you spoke Italian," Tessa whispered, her eyes drooping.  
"Sì, lo so. Parlo anche altre lingue. Ma andare a dormire, il vostro stanco. Chiudi gli occhi, tesoro." (Yes, I know. I also speak other languages. But go to sleep, your tired. Close your eyes, honey.)  
Even though Tessa didn't know what Will was saying, she smiled and closed her eyes. She fell asleep like that in Will's arms, listening to the rhythm of the rain patter against their car.

Will pulled up in the Grey's driveway at about 11:00 on Monday morning. Nate must have heard the crunching of the tires because he opened the door to meet them.  
"Nate!" Tessa ran out of the car and into his arms. He chuckled and hugged her back. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her parents come out of the house. She pulled away from Nate to greet her parents. But she stopped herself when she noticed her father's venomous expression and her mother's cold, calculating one. _Why are they mad at me? I thought Nate said they wanted to see me.  
_She realized her parents weren't glaring at her, but rather behind her at Will. "Father," Tess started to speak. "Is everything-"  
"William Herondale," her father boomed. "You are under the arrest for the unlawful kidnapping of my daughter, Theresa Gray."  
Tessa's heart plummeted. Her brother had set her up.

**DON'T HATE ME *hides behind potted plant in corner* This story can't be all Wessa fluff...sooo, you'll probably want the next chapter REALLY FAST. And I'm not one to hold my chapters hostage, BUT, if I get to 25 reviews (by different people) I'll post the next chapter****_ today_****.**

**SO GET REVIEWING PEOPLE! TELL ME HOW MUCH YOU'RE MAD AT ME! LET YOU'RE ANGER OUT! :DDDD**

**(P.S. I used google translate for the Italian so SORRY if it is wrong. I don't speak Italian, but I wish i did. :D)  
**


	8. Frustration

**So, hopefully you aren't too upset with me about the cliffy from last chapter and have come back for more. Well here is Chapter 8 in all it's glory! No just kidding it's really not that glorious. More frustrating. BUT PLEASE read on :DDDDDD**

**No Chapter Playlist...but I have lots of songs in the next couple chapters...never fear.**

**See ya at the bottom :)**

"NO!" Tessa shrieked. "Daddy! You CAN'T!  
"Theresa, be reasonable," he said as he locked the handcuffs around Will's wrist. Tessa ran towards Will, sobbing and screaming, but her mother held her back.  
"Let me go Mommy! I need to see him! I need to see him before he goes!"  
"Shhh Sweetie, it's alright. He's gone now; you don't have to be afraid."  
"No! I'm not afraid of him, I love him! We're engaged!"  
Well, Tessa thought, somewhat engaged. Will hadn't formally proposed yet, but seeing the look on her mother's face, she knew it had worked.  
"You're WHAT?!" her mother yelled and loosed her grip on Tessa.  
Tessa used the opportunity to break free of her mother's grasp. She ran to Will, who was being led to the police car. "No! Please, let me see him! Please!" she sobbed.  
"I'm sorry ma'am, you can't," an officer told her.  
"I'm his fiancé!"  
The man sighed. "Alright, you have 30 seconds."  
Running to Will, she and took his face in her hands and pressed her lips to his. This kiss was desperate, expressing what she didn't have time to say. "Will, I'm so sorry, this is all my fault! I didn't know, I'm sorry-"  
"Tess, it's not your fault."  
"Yes, it is. I'll do everything in my power to get you back. I'll even get a job to pay to bail you out, or-"  
"Ma'am, your time is up."  
"NO!" Tessa shrieked. "Will, I love you, I'm so sorry..." Sobs racked her body as two officers dragged her away.  
Another officer approached them as Tessa stood in her mother's grasp, sobbing.  
"These were found with Mr. Herondale's belongings."  
He held up a bag of pills and her mother gasped.  
"He probably drugged poor Tessa so she wouldn't protest. He deserves to go to ja-"  
"NO!" Tessa screeched. "He brought them because I told him I had a headache. They're just painkillers! I swear!"  
"I'm sorry, Miss Gray, but we can't prove he wasn't drugging you."  
"Yes you can!" she yelled in the officer's face. "I'm telling you the truth!"  
"Come on, darling, let's get you inside."  
"Mother!" she wailed. "You don't understand..."  
"Now now, Theresa. Calm down."  
But she didn't. Tessa was hysterical for the next few hours. Nothing could calm her down; not even her favorite herbal tea or reading a book. And definitely not her family.  
"Sweetie, why don't you go sleep. Maybe sleeping will wear off whatever medication he gave you."  
"Mother," she muttered through clenched teeth. "He did not put me on drugs. I love him, and I am marrying him."  
Her mother rolled her eyes. "Honey, your hallucinating. Plus, the police just did a background check on William. I bet he didn't tell you that his father did drugs. That's probably what influenced him to give you-"  
Tessa couldn't stand to listen anymore. "Don't talk to me, you, you-"  
"Tessa, I don't understand. Why do you insist on telling me that Will is a good man?"  
"Has it ever occurred to you that I don't want to marry someone I don't love?" Tessa spat bitterly. "Do you even care about my happiness?"  
"Theresa, I thought you were happy! Do you realize how much we have given you?! A sure future, a loving husband, a home-"  
"And I would be miserable. We only have one life; can't we make our own choices?"  
"Tessa, your being unreasonable. Go lay down and we'll talk after."  
"I never want to talk to you again. Is that clear, Mother?"  
She slammed the front door, not knowing where she was going. All she knew was that she needed to get away from her family, or she was going to do something she would regret.  
Feeling heartsick and alone, she walked to town. Her first plan of action was to find out how much Will's jail fee was. Then, she would try and find a job. She would make enough money to get him out, and they would go back to living their life, never to come to Greenville again.  
Tessa climbed the front steps to the small police station in the middle of town. When she walked in, The woman at the reception desk looked up.  
"May I help you?" she asked in a cheery voice that made Tessa want to slap her.  
"Yes," Tessa said as she attempted a smile. "I was wondering if you could tell me how much money it would cost to bail someone out of jail."  
"Well, it depends. Anyone in particular?"  
"William Herondale."  
The receptionist typed something into the decade old computer (one of the only ones in town) and clicked around a few times.  
"His bail is $3,000."  
Tessa's heart sank. She couldn't make that much money from any job in town in a matter of days. She felt tears coming on, but then she remembered something.  
How could I have been so stupid? She thought. She pulled out her credit card from her pocket and slid it across the counter. Will had just gotten paid last week; there should be money on the card.  
"I'm sorry, but we don't accept credit cards."  
"You're SERIOUSLY asking me to hand over $3,000 in cash?!" Tessa fumed.  
"Well, you could-"  
"I could do WHAT?" Tessa hollered, losing her patience.  
"The receptionist drew back. "You could write a check," she said in a small voice.  
"Fine," Tessa spat. She slammed down her checkbook on the counter and started scribbling furiously.  
"Here," she threw the check at the receptionist. "Now when does he get released?"  
"As soon as this check gets approved and cashed."  
"And how long will that take?"  
"Probably a few hours." the receptionist shrugged.  
"Who does it get approved by?" Tessa asked.  
"Mayor Gray."  
_Oh god._

__**So. Yeah. This situation is mildly frustrating for Tessa. ANYWAY, here's the deal. I finished writing this story last night, but I really hate the ending. I feel like its not long enough, like it needs more, BUT I DON'T HAVE ANY IDEAS LEFT. So PLEASE, if yo** **REVIEW OR PM ME ASAP! :DD**

**Thank you thank you thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far. I literally jump for joy when I see another review. Hugs and kisses for you all!**


	9. Rage and Despair

**HELLO EVERYONE! I've been out all day so...thats why this chapter's a little late. But HERE IT IS :)))**

**Chapter Playlist:**

**_Backwards_****- Christina Perri**

**_The Lonely_****- Christina Perri**

**_Bring Me To Life_****- Evanescence**

**(I HIGHLY RECOMMEND LISTENING TO THESE SONGS FOR THIS CHAPTER! They really fit what Tessa is feeling.) **

"You have got to be kidding me."  
"No ma'am, I'm not."  
Tessa swore and stormed out of the police station. She knew her father would never approve the check; he was the one who had arrested Will in the first place.  
Tessa felt hopeless. She had no idea what to do next. She could try persuading her father, but she doubted she would get very far. Her father was the most stubborn man she knew.  
She figured the court trial had already taken place, even though it had only been a few hours. The people of Greenville liked to get things over with. The judges never gave out innocent sentences, and never invited anyone to speak at them.

Deciding that she had nowhere else to go, Tessa trudged home. As she walked through the front door, she looked around to make sure no one was going to try to talk to her. That was the last thing she wanted right now. But, of course, the things you didn't want you always got anyway.  
"Tessie?"  
She spun around to face Nate. "Get away from me, Nate. You betrayed me, and ratted me out, and fed Mother and Father a load of bull. For example, Will KIDNAPPED me AGAINST my will and DRUGGED me. I NEVER want to talk to you again you lying, cheating, lame excuse of a brother."  
"Tessa, please, just hear me out-"  
"There's nothing to hear," Tessa spat.  
"Tess, stop. You want to know why I did it?" his voice suddenly grew loud. "Because it's not fair. It's not fair that you meet the love of your life and just go prancing off, away from your life here, to go live in bliss. Did it ever occur to you that I don't want to have my future decided for me either? You can't run away from your problems, Tess, and certainly not with that poor excuse of a boy, Will. I bet he's just playing you. That's what boys like him do. They make you fall in love with them, and then they step on your heart and walk away."  
Tessa lunged at him and pinned him against the wall.  
"You are not even worthy to say his name," she hissed "Will is and will always be ten times the man you are, you selfish, mendacious, son of a-"  
"Theresa! What has gotten into you?" Tessa's mother appeared in the doorway. "Go to your room! I will not stand this behavior in my house!" she scolded.  
Without another word, Tessa gave one last menacing shove at Nate and stalked off toward her room, her anger swirling in a cloud around her. If she couldn't persuade them with words, she would persuade them with actions.

essa had not come out of her room for three weeks. She had not accepted any meals from her family, and only drank water on necessity, to keep herself alive. She had an emergency snack stash, that she only ate from when she felt like she was going to pass out from starvation. For the first week, she felt constantly sick, like she was going to throw up, but she never did. She layed numbly face down on her bed; not crying, just laying still. To save herself from despairing thoughts, she tried to sleep as much as possible. After she couldn't force herself to sleep anymore, she spent her time rereading her whole entire book collection. Right now she was on a Tale of Two Cities. Will had once told her that this was his favorite book. Just thinking about him made her head hurt. She tried to focus on the book again, but soon grew frustrated.  
Throwing down her book, she padded over to her adjoining bathroom.  
She stared at herself in the mirror, but it didn't look like the Tessa she knew. Her cheeks were sunken in to her skull, and her eyes had black circles under them. Her brown waves had lost their bounce; and now hung limply from her scalp. Her lips were no longer full and pink, but rather dry and cracked. Something within her stirred. Disgust.  
She was disgusted at herself. For letting herself go this far. She thought that eventually, her family would be worried for her and release Will to make her happy again. How wrong she had been. Her parents didn't care about her happiness. They never had. _This is ridiculous,_ she thought. _What is Will doing? Probably wondering where the heck I am. I made a promise to him, and I intend to keep it._  
Slowly, she turned the lock on her door, and stepped out into the hallway.

**THANK YOU (X1000) to the people who have given me ideas! I am still in need of more though, so PLEASE, if you want anything in this story now is your chance to ask for it! Also, once I start school again on Wednesday, I probably will stop updating every day like I have been doing.**

**As always, tell me what you think! :DDD**


	10. Keep Breathing

**Hello everyone! So sorry I didn't update yesterday! I was SO busy wit New Year's Eve stuff. So here is chapter 10! You might get chapter 11 later tonight...if I finish writing it...and then, sadly, that will be the last one before I go back to school. After that...I can't promise everyday, but maybe every couple days.'**

**There's some Wessa fluff in here! YaY! FINALLY!**

**Chapter Playlist:**

**Keep Breathing- Ingrid Michaelson (YES the chapter title is inspired by this song)  
**

**The Call- Regina Spektor**

**Fidelity- Regina Spektor**

**Daydreamer- Adele**

"Hello, I'm here to visit someone. What time is visiting hours?"  
"Visiting hours are from 3:00-5:00 Monday, Wednesday and Friday. You'll have to reserve a time. Who are you planning to see?" the receptionist droned. It was a different one then the last time Tessa was here.  
"William Herondale."  
"Well, he doesn't have any visitors scheduled, so pick a time."  
"The soonest available," Tessa said hurriedly.  
"That would be in about," the receptionist checked the clock, "a half hour."  
"Great, thank you."  
"May I have your name?"  
"Tessa Gray."  
Tessa had nothing else to do for a half hour, so she sat in the waiting room and read a magazine. But her mind was elsewhere. How would Will react when he saw her? Would he be mad at her for not getting him out by now? The more she thought about it, the more doubts she had.  
"Miss Grey, you may go visit William now. It's just through those doors over there."  
Tessa nodded and walked towards the doors the receptionist pointed to. Heart pounding, she pulled open one door to find a long hallway and two guards.  
"Tessa Gray?" one of them asked. She nodded. "You can follow me."  
She trailed behind the guard, suddenly unsure if this was the right thing to do. She couldn't change her mind now, though.  
"He's right in here, ma'am."  
She stepped through the door to meet a pair of sparkling blue eyes staring back at her.  
"Tessa? Oh my god, what happened? Are you alright? What did they do to you? Oh, baby..."  
Tessa smiled weakly. "I'm fine. They didn't do anything to me."  
"Then what happened?"  
Tessa felt tears prickling her eyes. She felt ashamed of herself, and knew Will would be upset with her. "I-I," she stammered. "I didn't eat. For three weeks." she lowered her head, not wanting to see Will's reaction.  
There was silence. Then she burst into tears. Will comforted her. "Shhhhh, Tess, don't cry. Don't cry baby, it's alright-"  
"No its not! I said I would get you out of here, and I haven't! You probably hate me, because it's been almost a month, but I tried, I really did. I tried to get you out, I paid the bail money, but the check has to be approved by the mayor, and my father...would...never..." she trailed off as a new wave of sobs hit her.  
"It's alright, Tess, it's not your fault. You did your best, and that's all I could ever ask for."  
"No one will listen to me. Everyone thinks that you drugged me to get me to love you, so I just kind of lost it, I guess. I locked myself in my room for three weeks. I thought that they would be worried about me, and let you out or something. But I was wrong. They don't care, and they never did," she whimpered. "I'm sorry, here I am wallowing on self pity when you're the one in jail because of me. I just want it to be normal again. I just want to marry you, and have a normal life with you..."  
Will gave her a hard look. "Tess, this is not your fault. Why so you keep blaming yourself? I don't blame you at all."  
"Because I agreed to come back to Greenville. I brought you here, only to be dragged into this mess."  
They were both silent for a second.  
"Tessa, we'll get out of this mess together. I don't know how, but we will. I promise you."  
"Will, do you hate me?" Tessa blurted. He said he didn't blame her, but she couldn't be sure.  
"Tessa, why in God's name would you ask that?"  
"I don't know," she blushed. "I-I thought you would be mad at me. I can understand if you don't want to get married anymore. I mean, if I were you, I wouldn't-"  
"Tessa, stop. I love you, and nothing can change that."  
"I'm not trying to be self-deprecating, I just…" she trailed off.

Will looked up at her then. "That reminds me. I have to ask you something, Tess."  
Tessa's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What?"  
"Theresa Gray, even though I am in jail and right now our future doesn't look very bright at the moment, will you do the honor of becoming my wife?" he then produced a diamond ring from his jail suit pocket.  
Tessa stood frozen for a second, completely stunned. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she cried, "Yes, yes, yes!" over and over. She ran to Will and hugged him. He slipped the ring on her finger.  
"When did you..." she started. "How..."  
Will grinned. "I got it right after we had that conversation, you know, about getting married. Cause right then, I knew that all I wanted to do is marry you. Tess, your the only one for me, the only one there will ever be."  
"Will-"She started, but she was crying so much she had a hard time finishing. "I'm sorry I'm so emotional, it's just...I didn't expect this, I-"  
"Shhh sweetheart, I don't mind. You can cry all you want, I don't care."  
They broke apart, and Tessa looked at her watch.  
"I have to go. My parents think I'm still at the house."  
"Alright," he gave her a kiss on the cheek. "But I have to tell you one more thing."  
"What?"  
Will sighed. "They probably told you about my parents, right?"  
Tessa nodded, but didn't say anything.  
Will looked down at his hands. "What they said was true. My father was a drug addict. My-my mother and I were abused, which was part of the reason I joined the crew. Later that year, I found out that that my father of a drug overdose. I don't know what happened to my mother, she ran away." He paused, and looked up at her then. "But I want you to know that I would never, ever, be like that. Just living like that for 12 years was unbearable. I can't stand when men treat women like filth, and...God, Tessa, I would never even think about hurting you."  
"Will, I know that," she said softly. "I trust you."  
"I know," he exhaled. "It just makes me so angry that their accusing me of drugging you when I've lived the life I've lived."  
Tessa closed her eyes. "Some people can't accept the truth, so they choose to look around it."

"One more thing," Will said. "I have an idea. Jem, my best friend on the ship said that he was going to take a break at the same time I was resigning. He gave me his address where he would be staying. If I give it to you, will you write to him and ask him for help? I know he would do anything for me."

Tessa smiled. "Of course I will."

He gave her the address, and since she had no paper, she wrote it on her hand. Will smiled sadly at her. "I love you, Tess."  
"I love you too, Will."  
She walked out of the room feeling ten times better then she had when she walked in. She felt better now that she had heard the truth from Will. He just seemed to make her stronger. She didn't feel like the pale, skinny girl she had walked in as. She felt like the Tessa Will saw her as. And now she had something on her finger to show for it.

**WILL PROPOSED! THE MOMENT YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR! YAAAAYYYY! Please tell me what you think!**

**~Happy New Year everyone!~**

**Aren't you excited, Shadowhunters!**

**_2013_**** means:**

**The Bane Chronicles!**

**CLOCKWORK PRINCESS!**

**THE MORTAL INTRUMENTS: CITY OF BONES MOVIE!**

**POSSIBLY the City of Heavenly Fire cover!**

**This is gonna be one epic year, folks!**


	11. Ring

**I'M BACK! :DDD Ok, so this is kind of a filler chapter...but...it has some important things in it. No chapter playlist, since it's short.**

Tessa returned home smiling, much to her mothers dismay.  
"Theresa, what are you grinning about?"  
"Nothing."  
"Did you go visit William?"  
Tessa narrowed her eyes. "Maybe."  
Her mother chose that moment to look down at Tessa's hand. "Theresa! What in God's name is that?"  
"A ring."  
"Did William give it to you?"  
"Yes, it's my engagement ring."  
With a murderous look in her eye, she ripped the ring off her finger. "No daughter of mine will be wearing an engagement ring from some affair she's having."  
"MOTHER! Give it back!" Tessa shrieked. She tried to grab it from her mother, but she held it above her head.  
"Mommy! Please!" she begged.  
"No, Theresa. In fact, I think it would do you well to forget about William. You are 17, it's time for you to marry Henry. I will talk to Mrs. Branwell about having the wedding in a week's time."  
"NO!" Tessa sobbed. "Please, mother!"  
"Tessa, I don't care. You will obey your parents."  
"But I won't be treated as a pawn. Because that's what I am to you. I'm just a piece in your game," she spat.  
Tessa felt a sudden stinging on her cheek. She looked up at her mother, who was holding a hand to her mouth, horrified at what she had done. "Tessa, I'm so sorry," she tried to amend, but Tessa cut her off. "Don't apologize. You're not sorry, and you never will be." She spun on her heel and stormed to her room, leaving her mother standing shocked in the kitchen.

Tessa slammed the door to her room, her mind reeling. Sitting down at her desk, she took out a piece of paper and began to write to Jem.

_James,_

_ You may not remember me, but this is Tessa Gray writing. You and the crew stayed at my house a while back, last Christmas. I am writing on behalf of Will Herondale. I don't know if he told you why he resigned, but he did it because we ran away together. We had been living in New York for about six months when I got a call from my brother telling me to come home again. We drove back home and, as you might recall, my father is the mayor. He arrested Will for kidnapping me, and now Will is in jail. Of course he is innocent; I willingly went with him, but my family thinks that he was drugging me. I am writing to you because Will and I are desperate; I am to be married to my betrothed in a few day's time and Will is stuck in jail. I tried bailing him out, but since my father is the mayor, he wouldn't approve the bail money._

_ I do not know how busy your life is, or even if you will get this in time. But I talked to Will and he had faith in you. He said you would do anything for him, so I am begging you to help us, or him for that matter, because I know that you do not really know me all that well. Maybe if you could come and visit me in Greenville, we could talk. There is a hotel in town; Will and I would be more than happy to pay for your stay with what money we have._

_ I sincerely appreciate your help in this matter. Will and I will never be able to repay you for such a favor._

_Sincerely,_

_Theresa Gray_

Tessa sealed the envelope, addressed it, and tucked it in her purse. She checked to see how much cash she had with her. $10.00. Hopefully, that was enough for a speed delivery. After all, this was her last chance for freedom.

She had one more thing to do before she mailed the letter. Get her ring back. She intended to find it, and wear it proudly. Slowly, she crept down the stairs to the kitchen. There was a note from her mother apologizing and saying she was at the grocery store. Tessa tossed it aside, scoffing. She searched the counters and all the drawers. No luck. She tried every room downstairs, and still hadn't found it.

Climbing back up the steps, she made her way to her parent's room. Her mother was out, and her father was at work, so she was safe for the time being.

She checked in their nightstand drawers. She checked in their closet. She checked in their bathroom. She shone a flashlight down their bathroom sink, just to make sure her mother hadn't thrown it down the drain. Losing hope, she started searching places it wouldn't be. She looked in her father's slippers at the end of the bed. She looked behind the potted plant in the corner. She got on her hands and knees and checked under the bed. Nothing.

Angrily, she started throwing things, slamming drawers, not caring if she made a mess. Tessa irritably pried open her mother's antique jewelry box, and gaped. There, shining back at her was her ring. She grinned and snatched it up, slipping it on her finger.

_Bingo. _

**ALRIGHTY THEN! Like I said, I probably won't be updating every day now. :( Expect the next chapter this weekend sometime.**

**Also, I just wanted to say:**

**OMIGOSH 36 REVIEWS LALALALA! THANK YOU GUYS SOOOOO MUCH YOU ARE THE BEST! It may not seem like a lot to you...BUT IT IS TO ME! When I first posted this story, I was expecting like 10 for the whole thing...so THANK YOU VERY MUCH! :D**

**As always, keep reviewing, I love to know what you think!**


	12. Unexpected Surprises

**Hey guys! I apologize for the shortness of this chapter, but I PROMISE you'll get A LOT more tomorrow or Sunday. Seriously. Both length AND content. This is kind of a filler chapter too. Short. But...leads up to the next chapter which is REALLY BIG. So yeah. Be prepared.**

**No Chapter Playlist...(Again! :P)**  
Tessa heard the doorbell ring and sighed. She didn't want to get it, but seeing as no one was home, she sort of had to. Besides, it was probably Jessamine running an errand for her parents. Dragging herself off her bed, she clomped slowly down the stairs, taking her time.  
She opened the door lazily, leaning against it for support. But as soon as her eyes saw silver, she immediately straightened.  
"Jem?" she asked disbelievingly. She hadn't thought he would come; he never responded to her letter.  
Jem smiled warmly. "Tessa, so nice to see you again."  
Her heart soared. He was really here. He might help her. "I-I didn't think you would come. You didn't respond to my letter."  
"I figured it would just be easier to come without sending one. I would have arrived probably before it even came."  
Tessa grinned and opened the door wider. "Come in, my parents aren't home, and won't be for a while. Can I make you some tea? Or coffee?"  
Jem stepped through the threshold. "I'll have some tea, thank you."  
Tessa led him to the kitchen. He sat down at the table, while she banged around trying to find the teapot. Her mother had put it in a different spot since she had left for some reason.  
"Thank you so much for coming, Jem. Will and I will never be able to return the favor."  
"It's not a problem at all. I don't know how much I can help you, but I promise I'll try. Will and I had an agreement when we were best friends on he ship. We have each other's backs; we will do anything to help each other out." he paused. "So tell me, when did Will and you become...you know...a couple?"  
Tessa blushed, although she wasn't sure why. "Christmas," she said quietly.  
"That fast, eh?" Jem chuckled. "Will was always the ladies' man." Seeing Tessa's face, he tried to go back. "I meant that as no offense to you," he amended. "I just meant... well, before you, he never had a girl for much longer than a few weeks. He just never really took dating seriously. Plus the fact that we were always traveling. But I think that really, he just didn't to get in too deep before he had to leave them." Jem leaned back in his chair. "But, I don't know. William has always been a mystery to me."  
"Well, that's surprising," Tessa looked at Jem, "Because he just proposed to me."  
Jem's eyes bugged out. "Proposed? William Herondale proposed?" He smirked at Tessa. "You must have really won his heart. Wow. I never thought I'd see the day when Will got married."  
He laughed.  
Tessa smiled and handed him his tea, but her face turned solemn as she thought about her situation. "Well, I'm not sure if we even _can_ get married now. My wedding is in two days, and Will still isn't out of jail. I don't know what to do anymore." Tessa looked down at her feet.  
Jem was quiet for a minute, deep in thought. Then he spoke. "Would they let Will off of jail property, just for a bit, if I was with him?"  
"I don't know," Tessa said. "Maybe. But probably not, if it's up to my father. He still thinks Will drugged me." She felt anger rise up inside her, her tears threatening to spill. Don't cry, she scolded herself. Be strong.  
Jem was quiet again. Tessa felt her heart start to sink. If Jem couldn't help, then she didn't know what to do.  
"Tessa," he said. "Will the wedding ceremony be traditional?"  
"I-Yes, I suppose."  
Slowly, a smile crept on to Jem's face. "Then I think I have a plan."

**Yeah. It was short. BUT NEVER FEAR JEM IS HERE and he has a plan :DDDD if anyone guesses in their review (it doesn't have to be right)...I'LL GIVE YOU A SNEAK PEEK OF CHAPTER 13!**

**Ok, I know I said this before, but SERIOUSLY. EVERYONE who has reviewed is freakin awesome. I seriously love you (NOT IN A WEIRD WAY o_0). But, just wanted to say THANKS A BUNCH! REVIEWS ARE LIKE...I don't know. They're magnificent.**

**Tell me your predictions...and thoughts on this chapter/what will happen! STAY TUNED THIS WEEKEND FOR MORE! Chapter 13 is gonna rock your socks :DDD**


	13. Wedding

**SOOOO This is it guys! The chapter you've all been waiting for! LOTS of stuff is gonna happen... :DDD**

**Chapter Playlist:**

**Skyfall- Adele**

**Bleeding Love- Leona Lewis**

**Miles- Christina Perri**

**All The Rowboats- Regina Spektor (this song was on Cassandra Clare's Clockwork Princess playlist! Listen to it! Its awesome!)**

Tessa sat stoic on her vanity stool as her mother brushed on her makeup. Today was the day when everything would either be perfect or become a train-wreck. She wasn't sure which one yet.  
"Tessa, would you stop fidgeting for 30 seconds?" her mother reprimanded her. "Don't worry so much darling, you look beautiful."  
Tessa scoffed and rolled her eyes, but her mother just continued caking make-up on her face. "Mother, if you put anymore makeup on, I think I'll turn into a china doll," Tessa muttered through gritted teeth.  
"Oh, stop now, would that be such a bad thing?"  
"Yes," Tessa breathed, but her mother didn't seem to hear her.  
Eventually, her mother stood and admired her work. She smiled at Tessa. "Now let's get you dressed!"  
Tessa stood up stiffly and closed her eyes. She felt the gown come over her head and reached her arms through the sleeves. The dress was an off white color: the long sleeves made of lace. Her mother's eyes were glistening with tears. "Oh Theresa, you look so gorgeous." She dabbed at her eyes with a tissue.  
Tessa would have loved her dress the circumstances were different. She could almost imagine it now. Her mother and father approved of her and Will. They were about to get married. Her mother was happy for her because she had found love.  
But they weren't. Her mother was crying tears of joy, but Tessa felt like crying tears of agony. Her heart ached for Will; his touch, his smile that reached his eyes, his scent, his arms wrapped around her when she couldn't fall asleep at night...  
If all worked according to Jem's plan, then she could have that soon. But not yet, she reminded herself.  
Her mother fussed over her for the next half hour, but it was all a blur. She wasn't paying attention; she had too many other things to think about. But before she left the dressing room, she made sure she discreetly slipped Will's engagement ring on her finger. When she found herself waiting at the back of the church with her father, flowers in hand, her heart started to race. What if something goes wrong? What if I can't find the courage to-  
The organ music suddenly echoing through the church cut off her thoughts. Her father took her hand and she took a shaky step forward. She could see Henry standing at the altar grinning, and she suddenly wanted to throw up. She didn't want to crush Henry's heart. But she had to.  
The music stopped when Tessa reached the altar and turned rigidly to face Henry. She tried to calm her shaking hands, for fear that someone might notice. The whole town was here, for Pete sakes.  
The priest started to talk, but Tessa blocked out his words. Motion at the back of the church caught her eye, and her heart skipped a beat. Then she saw silver and black. She had to resist the urge to cry out. Her gray eyes met blue ones, and suddenly her world seemed to shift.  
"Do you, Henry Branwell, take Theresa Gray to be your wife?"  
Henry smiled at her. "I do."  
"And do you, Theresa Gray, take Henry Branwell to be your husband?"  
This is it, she thought. She glanced at Will once last time. Somehow, just seeing his face gave her the courage to answer, "I do not."  
She couldn't be sure, but she thought she saw Will's mouth twitch into a smile at those words. Then she looked down to see her parents, whose faces were both burning with anger.  
What have I done?  
Tessa heard murmurs ripple through the crowd. She turned, unsure of what to do. Figuring it would be best to leave before something worse happened, she ran down the aisle, tears stinging her eyes. She saw Jem and Will quietly walk outside to avoid the commotion. Bursting out of the church doors, she hurried down the steps. Will and Jem were sitting there, talking quietly, obviously waiting for her to come out. When they heard her heels clacking on the cement, they turned around and Will stood. He smiled and wrapped her in an embrace.  
"Oh Tess," he whispered. "My beautiful Tessa," he put his hands on her face.  
"Will," she whispered. "Will I'm sorry, for everything."  
Will closed his eyes and chuckled. "I really wish you would stop blaming yourself. Tessa, none of this is your fault. I love you so much-God, I could never stop loving you. I know that sounds cliché, but it's true."  
Tessa smiled and put her head on his shoulder. He pulled her closer and they stayed like that until the church doors burst open again, and out stomped Tessa's parents. They sprung apart; Tessa shielding Will from the wrath of her father.  
"Theresa Gray, what on Earth would possess you to walk out of your own wedding?" Her father roared.  
Her first instinct was to recoil from her father, but she was tired of hiding. Instead, she straightened and looked her father pointedly. "I think you know why," she deadpanned.  
"No, I don't. Would you care to elaborate?"  
Tessa kept her face neutral and her head high. "I am engaged to Will. I cannot marry someone that I am not engaged to," she said matter-of-factly.  
"You have been betrothed to Henry for 13 years!" Her mother shrieked. "Your engagement to that-that- _bastard_ cannot be valid!"  
Tessa snapped. "They asked me if I would take Henry as my husband I said I would not. I refuse to marry someone I do not love!"  
"Theresa, you humiliated us in front of the whole town. I want you to apologize to us and to the Branwells, and go back in the church. We will not stand this behavior."  
Tessa stared. "I'm _not_ sorry. And I'm _not_ going back in there. In fact, William and I have somewhere to be. Right, Will?" She interlaced her fingers with his."Come on." She turned to go down the steps, but her mother grabbed her firmly by the arm.  
"Mother, let me go!" Tessa demanded.  
Just then, Jem stepped into the argument.  
"Excuse me, Mr. and Mrs. Gray? If I may say something? I think that it would be wise to let Tessa go."  
"Excuse me, do we know you? What are you doing here?" Tessa's father questioned furiously.  
"Yes, in fact I believe you do. Pardon me for not introducing myself sooner. My name is James Carstairs. I stayed at your house when Captain Lightwood's ship needed repairing. I am an old friend of Will's."  
"And why should we trust you?"  
"I can offer you something," he said calmly.  
"What is your offer?" Her father asked curiously. He was a man of politics; he could never turn down a proposition without hearing it first.  
Jem leaned in and whispered something to her father; she couldn't make out what. This wasn't part of the plan that she and Jem had worked out. She was a little confused at first, but figured he had it in control.  
Jem stepped back, then reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a checkbook. Scribbling something on it with a pen, he tore off a check and handed it to Tessa's father. He took it from Jem and his eyes widened. Then he turned to Tessa.  
"You may go," he said quietly. "I will release William from jail and you two may go. But we never want to see your face again. You have disgraced me and your mother as the face of this town. You may leave, but never come back."  
Tessa stared disbelievingly at her father. "Never? Not even...not even if Will and I have children?"  
"Why would we want to see some child of this filthy boy?" Her mother spat.  
Tessa blinked back tears. "Fine," she whispered. The three of them walked down the steps of the church. Tessa had finally gotten freedom, but the part of her heart that held her love for her family felt empty. She couldn't tell if it was a bad thing or not. But she tried not to think about it and squeezed Will's hand tighter.  
One thing was for sure though. She was free. And she was never turning back.

**Did you like it? Hate it? Love it? Or was it like..."meh"...TELL ME GUYS! :DDD**

**So, if you want me to continue from this point (cause it's kind of wrapped up...), ****_tell me_****, because I really don't know what to write about. I will probably have an epilogue after this, or if you want, a sequel? Maybe? If enough people want me to write another story after this...then I will. BUT YOU HAVE TO LET ME KNOW! :DDD**

**Thank you for all of your support! Every single one of your reviews are amazing and make me smile!**

**33333 ByTheAngelIsThatWillHerondal e**


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